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Bruin Women Have Strong Showing On Final Day Of RJ/JJK Invite

The No. 8 women's track and field team had several impressive performances on the final day of competition at the Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner Kersee Invitational as Krystin Lacy, Ryann Krais, Shannon Murakami and the 4x400m relay highlighted the Bruins competing.

The 4x400m relay team of sophomore Ashlea McLaughlin, freshman Camilla Dencer, Lacy and senior Nicole Leach finished second (top collegiate team) in a season-best 3:34.51. That time improved upon their regional mark and ranks seventh in the NCAA this season. Lacy also had a big day in the invite 400m as she knocked nearly a second off of her previous best (54.30) to finish fourth overall in a regional qualifying time of 53.44. Her mark ranks sixth in the NCAA this season.

Krais, who picked up an NCAA provisional mark (5220 points) in the heptathlon on Thursday and Friday, ran a season-best and regional qualifier of 59.84 in the 400m hurdles to finish second overall. She was the top collegiate finisher in the race.

Murakami, who ran a lifetime-best in the 1500m on Friday evening to win the open section (4:30.20), was the top collegiate finisher in the invite section on Saturday with a new lifetime-best and regional mark of 4:25.68. In the course of two days, she knocked nearly six seconds off of her previous lifetime-best (4:32.40).

Bruin alum Chelsea Johnson won the pole vault with a mark of 14-6. Senior Megan Jamerson cleared a season-best and improved regional mark of 13-1.75 to finish third overall.

In the 100m hurdles sophomore Lindsay Rowe ran a season-best and improved regional mark of 13.63 to finish fifth overall. Freshman Yasmin Woodruff ran a season-best 11.81 in the 100m to place fifth overall. Woodruff also finished sixth in the 200m (24.04). In the 800m, freshman Camilla Dencer finished sixth in a time of 2:10.51.

On the women's side during the three-day meet, six meet records were set (hammer, heptathlon, steeple, 4x400m, 100 hurdles, 400m), while three Drake Stadium records (4x400m, steeple, hammer) were also broken.